My Bruce Springsteen Top 5

One of my favorite writers, Joe Posnanski, recently penned a blog on his top 5 Springsteen songs, and for someone that I respect so much, personally I felt it was kind of weak.  Here was his list:

• Born to Run - OK, but obvious
• The Promise - A little less than OK.  Top 5?  Really?
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Worthy.  Nearly made my top 5
• You're Missing  - From The Rising.  Frankly, I can't listen to the song without crying.  That's why I don't own it, and don't want to
• Badlands - OK as well

The beauty of Springsteen is not only the breadth of his catalog, but also the breadth of musical styles, song types, stories told, etc.  There is so much there for one to choose, that it makes it incredibly hard to come up with a top 20, much less a top 5.  That being said, here's my effort:

1) Prove it All Night - My wife will attest that every time this song comes on, I will sing along to it - regardless of my mood, if I'd been singing previously, or if we were in the middle of a conversation.  I also always whistle along to the sax solo.

2) Spirit in the Night - So smoky, so innovative, so different.  It is too bad Manford Mann covered it because the song is so stark and solid that it never should have been touched.  Great on so many levels

3) Atlantic City - The crown jewel from one of his best albums.  

4) Darlington County - I know this is kind of a cutesy song.  I don't care.  I absolutely love the story of the singer and Wayne trying to pick up girls in Darlington County.  And I absolutely love the end of the song:

Ain't seen my buddy in seven days
County man tells me the same thing
He don't work, he don't get paid...

...Driving out of Darlington County
I've seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Driving out of Darlington County
See Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper's Ford

5) The Price You Pay - The end of the song, between the lyrics and the harmonies, make this great one to finish the list.  

And, girl, before the end of the day
I'm going to tear it down and throw it away

Post up - where did I screw this list up?